It’s been a huge privilege to serve as
@ARIA_research's founding Chair over the last four years. Having completed my first full term last month, I have decided to step down to ensure my new role at Anthropic doesn’t become a distraction from ARIA’s incredible work.
I have often said that ARIA is one of the things that makes me most optimistic about Britain. It’s a bold national experiment that’s paying off: ARIA has become a beacon for global talent and is building a portfolio of programmes - across neurotech, climate science, life sciences and more - that I have no doubt will change the world.
There’s lots to do, but I’m proud of the foundations the extraordinary team has built and so grateful to them for their work. I know that, under the leadership of our brilliant CEO Kathleen Fisher, ARIA will go from strength to strength. I will be excited to watch ARIA’s next steps and will remain the agency’s biggest fan.
The Secretary of State has asked me to stay on for a short transitory period until 6 November to allow BIST to launch a process to select a new Chair. I’ve agreed to do this, with appropriate safeguards against potential conflicts in place. We will kick off the search shortly - it may well be the best non-executive job in the world, so I know we will find someone brilliant...